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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Kapono oh no

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According to Gil Alcaraz IV from Yahoo! Sports Lakers invited free agent forward Jason Kapono for a workout this past Monday. What I'm about to say is by all means no disrespect to one of the greatest shooters in UCLA history but Kapono really hasn't done much in the NBA but hold several NBA 3-Point Shootout trophies and a straddling NBA title w/ the Heat when Shaq and Wade went crazy in '06. To Kapono's credit he did have back-to-back seasons where he led in 3pt pct shooting 51.4 percent for Miami in that '06-'07 championship banner season and then 48.3 percent for
Toronto in '07-'08.

Kapono has played for five teams, suiting up for Cleveland, Charlotte, Miami, Toronto, and finally Philadelphia. If the Lakers are looking for consistency behind the arc why look at someone who played in just 24 games last season (minutes total to 3 NBA games in their entirety). Kapono showed the most consistency while playing for the Toronto Raptors in back-to-back seasons of his 5th and 6th year being in the league.

I would understand the interest if this was 3 off-seasons ago where Kapono would be coming off appealing high shooting averages but nowadays he's as rusty as they come. Kapono will have great difficulty putting up consistent numbers right away, especially with the added pressure of playing near his hometown Alma Mater for the first time in his NBA career.

If Buss wants to dish out 1-mill for a player that averaged 1 point (.7 to be exact) last season, why not invest that mill in free agent Mike Bibby who shot a career high 44 percent from long distance and averaged 8 more points than Kapono? I'm sorry to say but a belief that Kapono has a contributing season on the ready set to help an organization that needs chipping in even from the towel boy next season is just foolish. His downward stats will prove to you otherwise. Lakers shouldn't invest in Kapono's stepping stone rebuilding years.

Lakers do not need another forward, they need a point guard that can reintroduce the fast break and Bibby would be the perfect fit.

Nepotism may be a factor in the recent workout invite. Mr. Alcaraz IV also stated that Kapono may have a slight edge over other prospects because of his relationship with Quin Snyder who was hired to the Lakers' coaching staff this summer as an assistant.
Their history could be the difference when the Lakers decide who
they're going to sign in the next couple of weeks.